Cavaliers Win Third Consecutive ACC Tennis Championship
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 04/19/2009

CARY, N.C. – The No. 1 Virginia men’s tennis team won its third consecutive ACC Tournament title and its fifth in the past six years by downing No. 20 Wake Forest 4-0 in Sunday’s final at the Cary Tennis Park. The Cavaliers won all three of its matches in the tournament by a 4-0 score, becoming the first team in ACC Tournament history to accomplish the feat.

“I am really proud of this championship,” said Virginia head coach Brian Boland. “We lost three of the best players in the country last year in Somdev Devvarman, Treat Huey and Teddy Angelinos. It says a lot about the young men on this team that they were able to step up this season. They saw it as an opportunity to play higher in the lineup. They worked harder in the off-season and the results showed that. We have won five of the last six ACC Tournaments, but this one is really special.”

The Cavaliers took the 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point. The Demon Deacons (20-9) took an early advantage as Cory Parr and Steve Forman bested Dominic Inglot (London, England) and Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) 8-5 at No. 1 in a battle of top-15 teams. Virginia drew even as Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India) topped Iain Atkinson and Carlos Salmon 8-6 at the No. 2 position. With the opening point on the line, Drew Courtney (Clifton, Va.) and Lee Singer (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) defeated Jonathan Wolff and David Hopkins 8-3 at No. 3 doubles.

Virginia started singles in strong fashion, winning all six first sets. Inglot, who was named tournament MVP, made the score 2-0 with his 6-4, 6-3 win over Parr at the top position. Courtney put the Cavaliers on the brink of the championship with his 6-3, 6-2 win over Atkinson at No. 5 singles. Singh clinched the title for Virginia as he completed a 6-2, 7-5 win over Forman at No. 2 singles.

“I thought we actually came out a little flat in doubles,” said Boland. “I told the team after the doubles that I was disappointed in their energy. I am not sure why that was since we prepared the same way each day. I think they realized that and came out in singles and got off to a great start and really got the momentum rolling.”

With the victory, the Cavaliers have won 45 consecutive matches against ACC opponents.

“The team is playing with a lot of confidence right now,” said Boland. “We have played a tough schedule and they have overcome some adversity. They know how to handle tournament play and I think we are in a good position as we head into the NCAA Tournament.”

The Cavaliers receive the ACC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the title. The field of 64 will be announced on April 28.

No. 1 Virginia 4, No. 20 Wake Forest 0

Doubles
1. #11 Parr/Forman (WF) def. #13 Inglot/Shabaz (UVa) 8-5
2. #4 Barrick/Singh (UVa) def. Atkinson/Salmon (WF) 8-6
3. Singer/Courtney (UVa) def. Wolff/Hopkins (WF) 8-3

Singles
1. #17 Dominic Inglot (UVa) def. #12 Cory Parr (WF) 6-4, 6-3
2. #27 Sanam Singh (UVa) def. Steve Forman (WF) 6-2, 7-5
3. #25 Michael Shabaz (UVa) led Jonathan Wolff (WF) 6-3, 3-5 DNF
4. #83 Houston Barrick (UVa) led David Hopkins (WF) 6-2, 0-3 DNF
5. Drew Courtney (UVa) def. Iain Atkinson (WF) 6-3, 6-2
6. #87 Lee Singer (UVa) led Jason Morganstern (WF) 6-3, 1-2 DNF

Order of Finish
Doubles: 1,2,3
Singles: 1,5,2

 

UVa takes title again
From staff reports
Published: April 20, 2009

No Somdev Devvarman. No Treat Huey. No Teddy Angelinos.
No problem.
A year after losing its top three players to graduation, the Virginia men’s tennis team hasn’t missed a beat.
On Sunday afternoon in Cary, N.C., top-ranked UVa wrapped up its third straight ACC championship and its fifth in the past six years. The Cavaliers, behind tournament most valuable player Dom Inglot, beat Wake Forest 4-0.
“I am really proud of this championship,” said Virginia coach Brian Boland, whose team has won 45 consecutive matches against ACC opponents. “We lost three of the best players in the country from last year. It says a lot about the young men on this team that they were able to step up this season.
“They saw it as an opportunity to play higher in the lineup. They worked harder in the off-season and the results showed that.”
Undefeated Virginia
(29-0) won all three of its matches in the tournament by a 4-0 score, becoming the first team in ACC tournament history to accomplish the feat.
“I thought overall we played really well,” said Virginia sophomore Michael Shabaz. “It’s tough when teams are always gunning for you, but I thought we really rose to the challenge.”
Against Wake, UVa took the 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point.
The Demon Deacons (20-9) took an early advantage as Cory Parr and Steve Forman bested Inglot and Shabaz 8-5 at No. 1. But Virginia was able to draw even as Houston Barrick and Sanam Singh topped Iain Atkinson and Carlos Salmon, 8-6, at No. 2.
With the opening point on the line, freshman Drew Courtney and junior Lee Singer defeated Jonathan Wolff and David Hopkins by an 8-3 score at No. 3.
Virginia started singles in strong fashion, winning all six first sets. Inglot made the score 2-0 with his 6-4, 6-3 win over Parr at the top position.
Courtney put the Cavaliers on the brink of the championship with his 6-3, 6-2 win over Atkinson at No. 5 singles. With former stars Devvarman and Huey in attendance, Singh clinched the title for Virginia as he completed a 6-2, 7-5 win over Forman at No. 2 singles.
“We have won five of the last six ACC Tournaments, but this one is really special,” Boland said. “It was a great performance by the guys.
“We came in really well prepared. I was really impressed with how well we dealt with some tough situations throughout the weekend. The team just gets better and better with each match. It was a great accomplishment to win the ACC tournament in such convincing fashion.”
By winning the ACC title, Virginia receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The field of 64 will be announced on April 28.
“We have to continue to try and get better with each day of practice and be really prepared,” Boland said. “I have no doubt that the guys will.”

 

Valiant Effort Falls Short vs. No. 1 Northwestern
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 04/19/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 10 Virginia women’s lacrosse team battled hard against the top-ranked team in the nation on Sunday afternoon before falling to Northwestern, 11-10, in the regular-season finale for the Cavaliers. The win keeps the Wildcats unbeaten this season, at 15-0, while Virginia moves to 10-6 on the year.

Senior All-American Blair Weymouth led the attack with a game-high four goals and five draw controls, while junior Kaitlin Duff had three, redshirt junior Whitaker Hagerman added two and senior Ashley McCulloch had one. Senior Jenny Hauser, junior Brittany Kalkstein and Duff each added an assist.

For Northwestern, Katrina Dowd led the way with three goals, while Hannah Nielsen scored two goals to go with three assists.

In a fairly even played game, the Cavaliers held the lead with four-and-a-half minutes left before halftime, but a flurry of Wildcat goals erased Northwestern’s deficit and gave the ‘Cats a one-goal lead heading into the intermission.

The Wildcats got on the board first at 29:03 and added another at 26:23, before Duff tallied an unassisted score at 24:12.

Hagerman won the ensuing draw control and passed ahead to McCulloch to find Weymouth, who weaved through traffic before converting an unassisted goal to even the score at two all.

Northwestern nipped the chance of a streak with a score at 21:35, but Weymouth’s back-to-back goals and then Hagerman’s two-straight tallies gave Virginia its largest lead of the game, at 6-3, with 6:21 remaining in the half.

The Wildcats would fight to even the score at six in the next five minutes, before a goal from Nielson with 4.5 seconds remaining secured the halftime advantage for the Wildcats, at 7-6.

McCulloch got the scoring started in the second half, sneaking around cage and finding the back of the net 2:12 into play. Northwestern then tallied another before Weymouth fired her fourth of the contest into the goal at 23:32.

The Wildcats strung together two-straight within a minute and a half following Weymouth’s score, but after eight scoreless minutes, Duff notched back-to-back scores to bring the score at 10 all, with 8:30 to play.

The next seven minutes were scoreless, before Nielson snuck around cage and got a shot past redshirt junior Lauren Benner to push Northwestern ahead one, with 1:31 left in the game.

The Cavaliers forced a turnover with 30 seconds remaining and looked to be in the clear to get a shot off, before the referee’s made a call against Virginia, giving Northwestern possession. The ‘Cats controlled the ball in the final seconds to secure the 11-10 win.

Prior to the start of the game, Virginia recognized its Class of 2009. Senior’s Catherine Chambers, Sarah Hackman, Whitaker Hagerman, Sara Hairfield, Jenny Hauser, Jen Holden, Ashley McCulloch, Katie Shannon and Blair Weymouth were honored for their contributions to the program, their three Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, in addition to their athletic and academic accomplishments.

Up next, the fourth-seeded Cavaliers will face fifth-seed Virginia Tech in the 2009 ACC Championship this Thursday. Opening draw is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Blacksburg, Va.

 

Near-miss for Cavs at home
By Bart Isley
Published: April 20, 2009

Virginia desperately needed a marquee win Sunday afternoon to cap a roller coaster regular season.
Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, No. 1 Northwestern wasn’t keen on obliging.
After burning up around three minutes of clock with time winding down and the game deadlocked, Northwestern star Hannah Nielsen bypassed a set play for the Wildcats and caught Virginia’s defense out of postion. Nielsen, the nation’s reigning Tewaarton trophy winner, then wrapped around the Virginia goal to bury what became the game-winning tally with one minute and 31 seconds to play in Northwestern’s 11-10 victory over Virginia.
“It’s a heartbreaker,” said Virginia coach Julie Myers. “It would’ve been a huge win for us.”
No. 10 Virginia (10-6) got a final chance after Nielsen’s goal when Jenny Hauser nabbed a ground ball on a forced turnover. Hauser quickly raced up field before Virginia called a timeout to workout a final play.
After a few quick passes, the ball landed in Kaitlin Duff’s stick with 8.3 seconds left and the speedy junior drew a foul and a free position chance. Another whistle blew though on the restart as Duff was hit with an infraction for jumping the whistle.
“It looked to me like everybody kind of moved at the same time,” Myers said. “I was looking for Duff going to goal and all of the sudden everyone was stopped again. It did not seem that blatant but apparently it was.
“I’m sure the official wouldn’t have called it if she didn’t see something worth calling.”
Northwestern (15-0) took possession and burned the final seconds off before celebrating the squad’s narrowest victory of the season. Before Sunday, only North Carolina and Duke had clawed within single digits of the Wildcats, losing by five and six goals, respectively.
“This was a great challenge, and we knew they were going to give us a great matchup,” said Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller.
The Wildcats appeared to be in even more dire straits in the first half when Virginia jumped out to a 6-3 lead on a Whitaker Hagerman free position shot with 6:21 to play.
A Northwestern timeout and four-straight goals in the final 5:30 of the first half ended that early Cavalier threat though as Northwestern managed to steal a 7-6 lead going into the lockeroom on a Nielsen finish with 4 seconds left.
“We came out of that timeout really strong,” Hiller said. “[The run] gave our girls confidence in terms of being down and being able to fight back.”
The Wildcats haven’t trailed at the half all season. Katrina Dowd paced Northwestern with a hat trick, while Nielsen dished out three assists to go with her two goals.
A rash of unforced turnovers by both squads dominated most of the game, with the Wildcats committing 16 mistakes and Virginia turning the ball over 14 times, including some key spots down the stretch.
“I think every possession carried so much importance for both teams that I think the mental aspect got involved,” Myers said. “It was hard work, you have to work so hard just to keep the ball moving.”
Blair Weymouth led the Virginia charge, playing with a sense of focus and determination against the Wildcats from the opening draw. Her first goal came on a one-man fastbreak, where two quick but controlled changes of direction left her with an open shot. The senior poured in four goals in what could be her final game at Klockner Stadium depending on how things shake out for Virginia come NCAA tournament time.
Duff finished with a hat trick and an assist, while Whit Hagerman had a pair of goals.
Virginia now has to zero in on Virginia Tech on Thursday in the opening round of the ACC tournament.
The Cavaliers will surely need a win over the Hokies and may need to beat Maryland in the semifinals in order to wedge their way into the NCAA field. A win over the Wildcats would have surely sewn up a bid and could’ve given Virginia a home opener in the tournament.

 

Nailbiter fails to fall Virginia’s way
Cavaliers succumb to country’s top-ranked team in final minute after back-and-forth home battle
Ben Gomez, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Published: Monday, April 20 2009

Senior midfielder Blair Weymouth tallied four goals in the Cavaliers’ tight 11-10 home loss against No. 1 Northwestern Sunday. The defeat marked the All-American’s final home game as a Cavalier. The No. 10 Virginia women’s lacrosse team suffered its sixth loss of the spring Sunday — its most during a season since 1995 — falling to No. 1 Northwestern 11-10. The senior day matchup between the Cavaliers (10-6, 2-3 ACC) and Wildcats (14-0, 2-0 ALC) was the first regular season meeting between the two schools since 1991.

“It is a heartbreaker,” Virginia coach Julie Myers said. ”I think our girls really battled hard and created a lot of opportunities to try to win a huge game at home. I feel like we had a chance — it was one of those games that we could have won.”

The Wildcats were quick out of the blocks against the Cavaliers. The top-ranked team in the country began by winning the opening draw, and junior midfielder Danielle Spencer scored the first goal of the game one minute into play. Northwestern followed with another goal two and a half minutes later off a free position shot.

But just when it seemed like the Wildcats were well on their way to blowing out the Cavaliers, Virginia junior midfielder Kaitlin Duff split the Northwestern defense to score.

Throughout the game, the Wildcats played an aggressive press on defense, allowing the Virginia attack to find holes in the line and create scoring opportunities. Beginning at the 17:30 mark, the Cavaliers went on a scoring run, netting four unanswered goals to take a 6-3 lead. Junior midfielder Whittaker Hagerman and senior midfielder Blair Weymouth each notched two goals during the stretch.

Controlling the time of possession in the first half, Virginia effectively worked the ball around the net, creating multiple scoring opportunities.

Northwestern, though, found an answer for the Cavalier offense, responding with three quick goals of its own before halftime. Northwestern’s run was capped by senior midfielder Hannah Nielsen’s goal with just four and a half seconds left to give the visitors a 7-6 lead heading into the locker room.

After halftime, the game’s pace slowed considerably, as the Wildcats and Cavaliers exchanged just two goals apiece during the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Northwestern was able to take a two-goal edge, but Duff managed to erase the deficit with two nettings of her own — the last of which came with eight and a half minutes remaining. The Wildcats then went into a stall offense with just more than three minutes left and the score tied at 10-10.

Nielsen helped Northwestern snatch the lead from the Cavaliers with a minute and a half left in the game. Nielsen, last year’s Player of the Year, made a cut from behind the goal and snuck the ball past sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Benner. With the clock winding down, Virginia’s hopes of pulling an upset were growing slimmer.

Virginia senior Jenny Hauser, though, then intercepted the ball after the Cavaliers lost the ensuing draw control, creating one last chance for the Cavaliers. A foul on Duff gave her an opportunity to score with eight and a half seconds left in the game — but she false-started, turning the ball over and sealing the game for Northwestern.

The loss marked the Cavaliers’ third one-goal defeat of the season.

“In the first half, I think we were able to generate some of their turnover and mistakes into our goals,” Myers said. “In the second half, we were the ones who made the mental mistakes in the end.”

Weymouth ended her career at Klöckner Stadium by scoring a team-high four goals, and Duff added three. The Cavalier defense played a significant role in keeping Virginia in the game, holding the Wildcats’ three highest scorers — Nielsen, Spencer and senior midfielder Hilary Bowen — to just four goals, well below their average combined total of 10 per game. Although the Cavaliers held Northwestern to its lowest offensive output of the season, Virginia’s goalkeepers only managed one save.

“I think it is probably the best our team has played on the field in terms of generating opportunities,” Myers said. “We were focused, intense and excited. I think some of that intensity and emotion has been missing for parts of the season, so it was great to see that.”

The game against top-ranked Northwestern should give the Cavaliers confidence as they head to Blacksburg, Va. for the ACC Tournament Thursday. The one-goal margin of victory was the smallest of the season for the Wildcats.

“I thought we were the better team,” Weymouth said. “We just didn’t come up with it in the last minute and a half.”

 

Not so lax
Ben Gomez
Published: Monday, April 20 2009

When the Virginia women’s lacrosse team saw Northwestern on its schedule at the beginning of the season, the players circled the game and saw it as an opportunity to defeat the four-time defending national champs in a game that could be a stepping stone on the way to a fourth conference title. During the past four years, the Cavaliers have had several run-ins with the Wildcats, defeating them in the quarterfinals for the 2004 national championship and losing in the 2005 and 2007 championship games. Northwestern, on the other hand, has been downright dominant this season, posting the nation’s top offense while still fielding a suffocating defense.

As it came time for the game Sunday, the mood was very different for the Cavaliers; they had gone from being ranked No. 4 in the country with high hopes of going undefeated to losing five games and struggling to make the NCAA Tournament. A win against the Wildcats would begin to repair a disappointing season and hopefully lift the Cavaliers as they entered the postseason. The game Sunday marked the final regular season home game for Virginia’s eight seniors, including Blair Weymouth and Ashley McCulloch, two of the best to play at Virginia. I was hopeful as the game started because I knew that the Cavaliers have had the talent all season to hang with anybody in the country — they just needed to put it together for a full 60 minutes.

In typical senior day fashion, Virginia coach Julie Myers started all of her seniors. The Cavaliers came out fired up — maybe too fired up — and were quickly taken aback as the Wildcats rapidly scored two goals in the first four minutes to snag a 2-0 lead. At this point, it looked like the Cavaliers had not improved at all throughout the season and would be handily beaten just like every other Northwestern opponent. Thankfully, Kaitlin Duff took the weight off everyone’s shoulders, scoring the first goal for Virginia, proving that the Cavaliers would not just lie down and give the game away.

The Cavaliers became extremely persistent on offense, possessing the ball for most of the first half. Their patience was rewarded with a four-goal spurt by Blair Weymouth and Whittaker Hagerman, each of whom scored twice. I was in awe after the Cavaliers took a 6-3 lead, and I even began to consider the fact that Virginia may actually have a chance to win the game. But I knew Northwestern was bound to make a run, and it was up to the Cavaliers to outlast it. At that point, I was brought back down to earth as the Wildcats finished out the first half with four straight goals of their own to take a 7-6 lead.

During this weekend’s game, the Virginia defense was charged with its toughest task of the season, shutting down Northwestern’s stars: Hannah Nielsen, Danielle Spencer and Hilary Bowen. Cavalier sophomore defender Liz Downs was given the assignment of locking down Nielsen, the 2008 Tewaaraton Trophy winner who currently leads the country in points. Nielsen’s first of two goals proved to be extremely crucial for the Wildcats, as it came with four seconds left in the first half to give them the lead.

Despite being down at halftime, the Cavaliers were hanging with a team that was supposed to beat them easily. If it were not for a few miscues, Virginia would have been winning the game. The attack already had managed to score as many goals as the Wildcats typically allow in an entire game.

As the second half began, the Cavaliers matched their intensity from the first half. Virginia and Northwestern went on to trade goals for the first eight minutes, with neither team pulling away. I was still confident that the Cavaliers could get the job done and complete the upset. Duff took it upon herself to keep Virginia in the game, scoring two goals in four minutes to knot the game at 10-10 with eight and a half minutes left.

As the game began to wind down, the Wildcats went into a stall offense, which proved successful as Nielsen scored with a minute and a half left in the game. Although I knew it was highly unlikely the Cavaliers would tie the game at that point, they apparently thought otherwise.

Despite not winning the ensuing draw, the defense that had been scrappy all season came up with a turnover, giving Virginia one last opportunity to tie the game. As she had done all day, Duff went to goal and was fouled, giving her a chance at a free-position shot with 8.5 seconds left in the game. With Duff in position ready to take the shot, though, she false-started, consequently giving the ball to Northwestern and sealing the victory for the Wildcats.

With the loss, the Cavaliers most likely still have some work to do to ensure themselves a spot in the NCAA Tournament. But the Cavaliers should hold their heads high, knowing that they took the No. 1 team in the country right down to the wire, which no other team did all season. They showed great resolve throughout the game, never giving up and fighting until the very end.

Virginia is coming on strong at the end of the season headed into the ACC Tournament beginning Thursday. After watching the Cavaliers all season — culminating with the game against Northwestern Sunday — I would not want to face the Cavaliers in the postseason.

 

Seniors shine, Cavs tally comeback win
Cavaliers’ offensive attack explodes for eight goals in fourth to beat Dartmouth
Jack Bird, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Published: Monday, April 20 2009

Senior attack Gavin Gill and his family were honored before the Cavaliers’ win against Dartmouth Saturday. A member of the family has been on the team for 11 straight years. The Virginia men’s lacrosse team used a fourth quarter comprised of eight unanswered points to vault itself to a 13-6 victory against Dartmouth Saturday.

“We haven’t played offense well for a month,” senior attackman Garret Billings said, “even in [this] whole game, except for the fourth quarter.”

It was senior day at Klöckner Stadium, and the Cavaliers (13-1, 2-1 ACC) found themselves in a 5-5 tie at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Lackluster play had the Cavaliers down 5-3 at halftime. Even after a slightly more inspiring third quarter, Virginia only managed to pull even with the Big Green (4-9) heading into the final period.

“We weren’t playing smart in the first half,” senior attackman Danny Glading said. “We told ourselves at halftime that we got to stop feeling sorry for ourselves. I think we were sulking the past couple of weeks instead of doing.”

With 13 minutes remaining in regulation and with their team down by one goal, Billings and Glading ignited an offensive explosion. The two connected first when Glading got the ball to Billings, who was undefended eight yards from the cage. Billings put a shot in the back of the net that tied the score at six apiece. The senior duo was not done, though. Just more than a minute later, after a quick restart behind the cage, Glading found Billings again. This time, Billings was just in front of the right pipe with a defender on his hip. As his momentum from the cut carried him behind the cage, the only shot the Canadian native could manage was a behind-the-back shot that Dartmouth goalie freshman Fergus Campbell could not stop.

“That might be one of my favorite goals that Danny and I have hooked up for,” Billings said.

The two scores initiated by the pair of Terwaarton Trophy nominees were just the start of Virginia’s 8-0 run in the final period.

Another senior who excelled in the fourth quarter was midfielder Chad Gaudet. During the first half, faceoffs were a clear problem for the Cavaliers.

“The single answer to the first half was that we didn’t win a faceoff,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. “They would have long possessions on offense and the hardest thing to do in college lacrosse is to come down on offense after you haven’t had it for a long time and work to get a good shot. I thought we were sloppy and impatient in the first half.”

The Cavaliers only managed to win one of the 10 faceoffs during the first two quarters of the game. Gaudet, who attended undergraduate school at Dartmouth, drastically upped his performance level in the fourth quarter, winning six of the first seven faceoffs. Overall, Virginia had an 80 percent faceoff percentage in the last quarter.

When all was said and done, Virginia finished its regular season with a win and a 13-1 record. A trio of hat tricks from Billings, junior midfielder Brian Carroll and senior midfielder Steve Giannone led to a win that seemed to honor the commitment and accomplishments of the Cavaliers’ nine seniors.

“It couldn’t have been a better senior day,” senior defenseman Matt Kelly said.

With its regular season complete, Virginia is now set for a rematch against Duke this weekend in the first round of the ACC tournament.

 

Virginia men share ACC crown with FSU
From staff reports
Published: April 20, 2009

Virginia stunned the ACC track & field community late Saturday evening.
Behind 11 all-conference performers, the Cavaliers claimed a share of the ACC men’s title with powerhouse Florida State, the defending champ.
It marked the best finish for Virginia’s program during an outdoor season and the first time that the crown was shared by two programs since 1982.
UVa and Florida State finished with 141 points, which edged out Virginia Tech (130 points) and Georgia Tech (81).
On the women’s side, Virginia took fourth place with 74 points. The Cavaliers finished behind Florida State (160 points), Virginia Tech (141) and North Carolina (130).
UVa’s share of the men’s title was solidified in the event’s final session.
The results came, according to first-year coach Jason Vigilante, by the athletes’ ability to block out the overall scoring as the meet
progressed.
“The important thing that I guess that we needed to remember and honestly never crossed our mind was winning the championship,” Vigilante told The Daily Progress. “The only thing that we could focus on was what we could control, and that’s how we reacted in each individual event and how we performed.
“I think the guys did a phenomenal job of doing one event on time and not getting ahead of ourselves and just focusing on the task at hand.”
The Cavaliers, who trailed by 14 points entering the final day, earned individual victories by Adams Abdulrazaaq in the 110 hurdles and Yemi Ayeni in the discus to help make up the deficit.
“They were huge because you get two points separation from second place,” Vigilante said. “And we were in contention in the 5,000 meters — Ryan Collins ran the fellow all the way to the line.
“It was just so close all the way but wins are tremendously significant.”
Vigilante said the program’s first outdoor title could become a springboard for a youthful roster.
“Any time you win it is significant, and I think it is a tremendous benefit for our program in that we’ve got very talented people,” he said. “We have a very young team, and it shows the young guys and even the women’s team that winning championships is actually not a result of trying to win the championship.
“I think a championship is a byproduct of the three things that we talked about all year that were important — integrity, character and sacrifice.”
The women’s team showed progress as well, improving off their past two performances at the championship meet. The Cavaliers finished sixth in 2006 and fifth in 2007.
The result came just two months after an eighth-place finish at the ACC indoor championship meet.
“Our women really came together after the ACC indoor championship and decided they wanted to be better,” Vigilante said. “They kind of constructed individual goals, event-area goals and then team goals. For us to score as many points as we did despite losing Ayla Smith to an injury … really says a lot about our team.”
In all, Virginia had 16
All-ACC performances.
The Cavaliers will compete at the Penn Relays on Thursday and have over a month to prepare for the NCAA East Region championship, which will be held in Greensboro, N.C.

 

Masterful Morey: Hurler lifts UVa to series victory
From staff reports
Published: April 20, 2009

In Chestnut Hill, Mass., Robert Morey allowed just four singles in 7.2 innings and struck out 12 batters as Virginia blanked Boston College 2-0 in the series finale.
With the victory, No. 13 Virginia won the series and improved to 30-8-1 overall and 11-7-1 in the ACC.
The shutout was the first in an ACC contest for the Cavaliers since holding Maryland scoreless in 2007.
Virginia can thank Morey, who made just his second league start.
“He was completely dominant today,” Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said. “He has had two back-to-back outstanding outings on the road.
“It is the first time in a while, I think, that we have had a starting pitcher work into the eighth inning.”
In the eighth, Morey (1-0) allowed a two-out single to Robbie Anston. O’Connor then turned the game over to sophomore Kevin Arico.
After allowing a single to Andrew Lawrence, which placed runners on the corners, Arico fanned BC’s best hitter, Tony Sanchez.
“That was a huge out,” O’Connor said. “Sanchez is one of the best hitters in the league and Kevin attacked him.”
Arico pitched to the minimum in the ninth, using a
6-4-3 double play to end the contest.
It was the fourth save of the season for Arico.
“Both Robert and Kevin pitched really well and they needed to because Boston College’s pitching was good today,” O’Connor said. “Runs were hard to come by, the wind was blowing in and we pitched a magnificent game.”
The Cavaliers scored their first run in the first inning after Phil Gosselin roped a double and scored on a single that rolled into right field.
In the seventh, Virginia added another run on an RBI double by Jarrett Parker.
For the game, the Cavaliers finished with 10 hits, including two doubles and freshman John Hicks’ triple.
Virginia needed the win to take the series after losing a lead in the eighth inning on Saturday. BC (24-15, 10-9 ACC) rallied to win that game 9-6.
“To get a series win on the road is really, really big,” O’Connor said. “It puts you in a great position heading into the final three weekends where we have the next two series at home.”
The Cavaliers play Tuesday at 7 p.m. at The Diamond in Richmond against VCU.

 

Morey Pitches No. 13 Baseball to 2-0 Win at Boston College
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 04/19/2009

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Behind 7.2 scoreless innings from starting pitcher Robert Morey (So., Virginia Beach, Va.), the No. 13 Virginia baseball team recorded a 2-0 win over Boston College on a cool, breezy Sunday at Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at Commander Shea Field. The Cavaliers finished off a 2-1 series win.

The shutout was Virginia’s fourth this season and the first in an ACC game since a 4-0 blanking of Maryland on April 29, 2007. It was UVa’s first in a road ACC contest since a 3-0 whitewashing at Clemson on April 21, 2007.

Morey (1-0) allowed four hits (all singles) and walked only one while striking out a career-high 12 batters. His 7.2 innings on the mound also marked a career best. Morey did not allow a hit through the first 3.2 innings.

Kevin Arico (So., Flemington, N.J.) recorded the final four outs, including the last two on a game-ending double play ball by Barry Butera, to notch his fourth save.

Boston College starter Pat Dean (4-3) threw seven strong innings, giving up two earned runs and nine hits. He struck out eight and did not walk a batter.

Phil Gosselin (So., West Chester, Pa.) doubled twice as part of a 3-for-4 day. John Barr (So., Ivyland, Pa.) and John Hicks (Fr., Sandy Hook, Va.) each had a pair of hits.

The Cavaliers (30-8-1, 11-7-1 ACC) used a two-out rally in the first inning to score the game’s first run. Phil Gosselin (So., West Chester, Pa.) doubled to left field, then came home on a single to right by Dan Grovatt (So., Tabernacle, N.J.).

The pitchers dominated as both teams went six scoreless frames before Virginia struck for a run in the seventh inning. Barr led off with a single to center and stole second. Franco Valdes (Jr., Miami, Fla.) put down a sacrifice bunt to move Barr to third and Jarrett Parker (So., Stafford, Va.) stung a 1-1 pitch down the right-field line to score Barr.

Boston College (24-15, 10-9) posted its biggest threat in the eighth inning. The Eagles got a two-out infield single from Brad Zapenas, prompting UVa to bring in Arico. He allowed an Andrew Lawrence single to right field on an 0-2 pitch to put runners at first and third but rebounded to strike out BC slugger Tony Sanchez swinging to squelch the threat.

Virginia continues its road swing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, traveling to The Diamond in Richmond to face VCU.

Morey hurls gem to hand Cavaliers needed ACC win
No. 13 Virginia snags Friday, Sunday games against Boston College
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Published: Monday, April 20 2009

Righthander Andrew Carraway allowed five runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings of work Saturday. Though the score was tied when the senior left, Virginia fell 9-6 in the end.
Two weeks ago, sophomore pitcher Robert Morey’s role in ACC play was as a seldom-used middle reliever.

The past two weekends, however, Morey has been the Sunday starter, and yesterday against Boston College he threw the best game No. 13 Virginia has seen from its starting pitching staff this season. Morey struck out 12 Eagles in 7 2/3 shutout innings to lift Virginia to a 2-0 win and to its first series victory on the road since its conference season opener against Wake Forest. The Cavaliers also triumphed 8-3 in Friday’s opener against Boston College, but fell 9-6 Saturday.

“This is a huge series win on the road,” Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said. “I think at the end of the year [Boston College will] be one of the top eight teams in this league ... This gives us some space [in the Coastal Division].”

The shutout in the game three clincher was the first in ACC play for Virginia since April 29, 2007 against Maryland. After Morey left with two outs in the eighth having thrown 109 pitches, sophomore reliever Kevin Arico delivered a four-out save, his fourth of the year.

Morey had his fastball, curveball and slider in full force, as he did not allow a hit until a two-out single in the fourth. Through the first 2 1/3 innings, the Eagles only managed to put the ball in play once, on a sacrifice bunt following a leadoff walk in the first inning. Morey went on to strike out the next six batters.

“[Morey] was right there with all of his pitches,” sophomore right fielder Dan Grovatt said. “That’s what we needed today.”

Freshman Danny Hultzen, meanwhile, was the hero in Virginia’s victory Friday. With the score knotted at one and two runners aboard for the Cavaliers in the fourth, Hultzen clubbed a breaking ball at his knees well beyond the 366-foot mark of the right-centerfield wall for the first home run of his career and his first extra-base hit in ACC play.

That was the first of two bombs Hultzen knocked this weekend, as he hit an eerily similar three-run homer to right-centerfield on a low-and-inside fastball in the first inning of Saturday’s losing effort.

“Low and in is my favorite pitch,” Hultzen said. “The past couple days, [I got] two of them and I was able to capitalize.”

Hultzen also made his usual Friday start on the mound. Though he did not have his best command, consistently going deep into counts, he ground through 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits.

Hultzen left the fourth with Virginia leading 4-2 but in a jam, as Boston College put runners on second and third with one out with its best hitter, junior catcher Tony Sanchez, ready to bat. Sophomore pitcher Tyler Wilson replaced Hultzen, though, and sent Sanchez — who entered the series hitting .387 with 12 home runs, both team highs — back to the dugout on three consecutive fastballs. Wilson’s third heater screamed over the outside corner at Sanchez’s knees, as the Boston College hitter’s bat remained firmly on his shoulder.

Wilson then grounded out sophomore cleanup hitter Mickey Wiswall to end the threat.

“Coach Oak [O’Connor] came in and said, ‘Make your pitches against this guy,’” Wilson said. “‘We’re going to get these guys right here, come in, score some runs and win this ball game.’”

The sophomore went on to finish off one of the best outings of his career, throwing the final 4 2/3 innings, while allowing one run on three hits to secure the game-one victory.

“I thought [Wilson’s] fastball was good today,” O’Connor said, “and at the end of the game, he was not going to be denied, and that was great to see.”

The Cavalier bullpen was not so fortunate Saturday, as junior relief pitcher Matt Packer struggled on the mound.

Packer entered with two outs and a 5-5 score in the seventh, and induced a groundout to retire the side. After Virginia took the lead with a run in the top of the eighth, however, Packer was pummeled in the bottom half of the inning for four runs on three hits and two walks. The Cavaliers were shut out in the ninth to complete the Eagles’ lone victory of the series.

The loss dropped Packer, the national 2008 ERA leader, to 1-4 and inflated his 2009 ERA to 5.47. The defeat also added to a disturbing statistic for the Cavalier bullpen — in all seven losses and one tie in ACC play, the Virginia starting pitcher left the game with either a lead or a tie score.

“[The players] keep coming back after difficult losses,” O’Connor said. “It’s human instinct to [get frustrated], but I know they have a lot of confidence in their teammates ... It just so happens that we have a chance to win every ball game, and most teams can’t say that. We have, and so [a tough loss] does frustrate you.”

Virginia will hit the road again Tuesday night for a matchup against VCU at the Diamond in Richmond.

Notes:

Sophomore centerfielder Jarrett Parker had one of his toughest series in a Virginia uniform, going 1-for-12 with one walk and 10 strikeouts this weekend, including 0-for-5 with five strikeouts Friday. After Friday’s dismal performance, O’Connor moved Parker out of the leadoff spot for the first time all season — he hit seventh Saturday and ninth Sunday ... Parker’s one hit, though, was a big one, as he stroked an RBI-double in the seventh for Virginia’s second and final run. “He showed us what he’s made of,” O’Connor said ... O’Connor put sophomore Phil Gosselin in the leadoff spot Saturday and junior Tyler Cannon in that role Sunday. O’Connor said he likes the right-handed Gosselin to lead off against left-handed pitchers and the switch-hitting Cannon to lead off against right-handers ... Sophomore right fielder Dan Grovatt reached base in seven of his 13 trips to the plate during the series, going 4-for-10 with three walks ... Senior starting pitcher Andrew Carraway went 6 1/3 innings in Saturday’s loss, giving up five runs on nine hits and one hit batter.



 

Spring game marks offseason of change
Hall, Verica, Sewell all take snaps under center in debut of squad’s no huddle offense
Ernie Washington, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Published: Monday, April 20 2009

Spring football games tend to be nothing more than glorified scrimmages that generate little buzz — unless there is one of three factors in play: a major competition for the starting quarterback slot, a new coach or a new offensive or defensive system.

All three of these currently are affecting the Virginia football team, and so Saturday’s game at Scott Stadium proved to be an interesting matchup for the nearly 8,000 fans in attendance.

Just as was the case last year, the Cavaliers have a three-way competition for the starting quarterback position. Junior quarterback Marc Verica is the lone holdover from last year’s race.

Senior Vic Hall began his career at Virginia as a quarterback but was moved to cornerback during his freshman year because of depth concerns at the cornerback position. A record-setting quarterback at Gretna High School, Hall passed for a Virginia state record 8,731 yards and 104 touchdowns. His 13,770 career yards of offense is fifth all-time nationally. Although Hall continued to play cornerback for the Cavaliers after the initial switch, he was moved to quarterback in certain situations during this past fall’s game against Virginia Tech.

After completing 11 of 16 passes for 98 yards Saturday, Hall is clearly in the running for the starting job, but said he just wants to play this coming fall — regardless of the position.

“As long as I can play football, I’m happy,” Hall said.

The spring game also marked the return of senior quarterback Jameel Sewell, who was a two-year starter for the Cavaliers but was academically ineligible last season. His return was solid as well; the veteran Cavalier threw for 61 yards on 7-for-11 passing with one interception.

“It was a wonderful feeling,” Sewell said. “I had a big smile on my face and just the energy running through my body. I felt like everybody else on the field could feel the energy coming off me.”

Although Verica started nine games for the Cavaliers last season, his poor play during a four-game losing streak in November caused his starting position to become up for grabs this spring.

It is not only rearrangements of players’ positions affecting Virginia this offseason, but also the reassignments of old coaches to new positions. Al Groh will become the defensive coordinator as well as head coach, and Anthony Poindexter will take charge of the defensive backs and assist with special teams instead of running backs, New hires also are mixing up the team’s chemistry, with Gregg Brandon replacing Mike Groh as offensive coordinator and Ron Prince returning to Virginia after a three-year stint at Kansas State — this time as special teams coordinator instead of offensive coordinator.

The changes have been welcome ones to the Cavaliers. Virginia’s performance on special teams thus far has been particularly impressive.
“Ron’s done a great job with the special teams operation,” Groh said. “The players have really brought in to the schemes and the diverse set of techniques that go with those schemes.”

The defense blocked two punts during the spring game and put significant pressure on two others. Sophomore safety Rodney McLeod and sophomore wide receiver Jared Green were responsible for the blocks, the first for Green as a Cavalier.

“I’ve never been on punt block before,” Green said. “It was awesome. It was fun and it is something that I would like to do a lot more of.”
The players also have found Brandon’s new spread offense advantageous.

“You get to abuse the defense even more,” Sewell said. “If they aren’t conditioned, then they’re out of luck. It gives us a big advantage over the defense, as long as we run out plays precisely.”

The new offensive strategy, moreover, allows players to be more versatile in schemes.

“It’s as if the offense has 12 guys out there, if the quarterback can run,” Groh said. “The defense always has 11 [players on the field], but when you have multiple players on the offense that can do other things — runners who can catch, catchers who can run, quarterbacks who can run — it just keeps adding up, and the offense has more than 11 weapons on the field.”

Two touchdowns were scored during the spring game — one of which was on a 21-yard pass from Verica to junior tailback Raynard Horne. The other touchdown came on a 48-yard run by senior tailback Mikell Simpson — which was particularly exciting for Cavalier fans in light of how Simpson’s play last season was not on par with his 2007 breakout season.

“He was much more evident every day this spring,” Groh said. “That certainly was the case [Saturday].”

Virginia kicks off its 2009-10 season Sept. 5 at home against William & Mary. Though the coaching staff has yet to choose a starting quarterback, Groh seemed content with what he saw out of the three contenders Saturday.

“Staff-wise, we have felt throughout that progressively they’ve done a nice job of handling the very challenging circumstances,” Groh said. “We feel positive about what they’ve all done.”

 

Cavaliers Finish Fourth at ACC Championships
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 04/19/2009

Greensboro, NC – The third-ranked Virginia women’s golf team finished fourth at the ACC Championships at Greensboro’s Sedgefield Country Club. The Cavaliers shot 14-over 302 during Sunday’s final round to finish the 54-hole event at 907. Wake Forest won the team title by 24 shots at 869. The Deacons’ victory ended a 13-year win streak by Duke at the championship.

North Carolina, ranked 10th, was second at 893 and No. 12 Duke placed third at 894. NC State was fourth at 896.

Virginia was led by sophomore Calle Nielson who finished seventh overall at 5-over 221. She shot 77 Sunday to go along with rounds of 69 and 75. It marked the second straight year she has posted a top-10 finish at the ACCs. She was third last year as a freshman.

Whitney Neuhauser had the best final round of any player, shooting 4-under 68 to move up to 15th overall at 225. Kristen Simpson shot 79 to place 21st at 229, Lene Krog carded a 78 and was 22nd at 232. Jennie Arseneault finished 32nd at 243, including an 83 in the final round.

Wake Forest’s Natalie Sheary defeated Duke’s Amanda Blumenherst in a one-hole playoff for medalist honors. Blumenherst had won the previous three ACC individual titles. The two players finished the tournament at 2-under 214.

The Cavaliers will now await a bid to one of the NCAA Regional Championships that are scheduled for May 7-9.

ACC Championships
Sedgefield Country Club
Greensboro, NC
Par-71, 6,355 yards
Final Results

Team Results 1. Wake Forest (11) 286-296-287-8692. North Carolina (10) 300-306-287-8933. Duke (12) 309-290-295-8944. NC State (35) 302-298-296-8965. Virginia (3) 295-310-302-9076. Florida State 317-314-302-9337. Maryland 317-318-306-9418. Boston College 334-328-316-9819. Miami 339-326-326-988Number in parenthesis is Golfstat rankingIndividual Leaders 1. Amanda Blumenherst, Duke 73-68-73-214 1. Natalie Sheary, Wake Forest 66-74-74-214 3. Jennie Lee, Duke 72-70-73-215 4. Nannette Hill, Wake Forest 70-73-74-217 5. Jean Chua, Wake Forest 73-77-69-219 5. Lauren Doughtie, NC State 74-71-74-219 7. Calle Nielson, Virginia 69-75-77-221 7. Catherine O’Donnell, North Carolina 77-74-70-221 9. Allie White, North Carolina 73-77-72-22210. Allie Bodemann, Wake Forest 79-73-71-22310. Jessica Hollandsworth, Maryland 74-75-74-22310. Macarena Silva, Florida State 76-76-71-223Virginia 7. Calle Nielson 69-75-77-22115. Whitney Neuhauser 78-79-68-22521. Kristen Simpson 74-76-79-22922. Lene Krog 74-80-78-23232. Jennie Arseneault 78-82-83-243
 

Cavaliers Finish Ninth at ACC Championships
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 04/19/2009

New London, NC – The Virginia men’s golf team placed ninth at the ACC Championships, shooting 2-over 290 during Sunday’s final round. The Cavaliers completed the 54-hole tournament at the Old North State Club in New London, N.C. with a score of 5-over 869. Virginia was one shot behind seventh place North Carolina and Virginia Tech and trailed sixth place Maryland by just three shots.

Georgia Tech, ranked No. 9, won the tournament at 18-under 846. The ninth-ranked Yellow Jackets finished three shots ahead of No. 3 Clemson to claim their third title in the past four years. No. 39 Duke was third at 861 followed. No. 27 Wake Forest and No. 18 NC State tied for fourth at 865. Defending champion Florida State, ranked No. 23, finished six shots behind the Cavaliers.

Kyle Stough led Virginia with a 20th-place finish. He shot 72 Sunday to finish at 2-over 218. Will Collins posted the team’s best final round score, 70, to move up to 24th overall at 219. Conrad Von Borsig was 27th at 220 while Ben Kohles and Bruce Woodall tied for 40th at 223.

NC State’s Matt Hill and Clemson’s David May tied for individual honors at 10-under 206.

Virginia will host its annual Cavalier Classic April 25-26 at Birdwood Golf Course to wrap up the regular season.

ACC Championships
Old North State Club
New London, NC
Par-72, 7,102 yards
Final Results

Team Results 1. Georgia Tech (9) 281-284-281-846 2. Clemson (3) 286-284-279-849 3. Duke (39) 290-284-287-861 4. Wake Forest (27) 295-277-293-865 4. NC State (18) 282-290-293-865 6. Maryland 289-290-287-866 7. North Carolina 290-289-289-868 7. Virginia Tech 289-287-292-868 9. Virginia 291-288-290-86910. Florida State (23) 287-297-291-87511. Boston College 311-298-304-913Number in parenthesis is Golfstat rankingIndividual Leaders 1. Matt Hill, NC State 68-68-70-206 1. David May, Clemson 71-69-66-206 3. Chellon Hadley, Georgia Tech 71-70-66-207 3. Cameron Tringale, Georgia Tech 67-69-71-207 5. Drew Weaver, Virginia Tech 67-71-72-210 6. Lee Bedford, Wake Forest 71-67-74-212 6. James White, Georgia Tech 71-71-70-212 8. Adam Long, Duke 73-70-70-213 8. Kyle Stanley, Clemson 69-73-71-21310. Chris Gold, Maryland 74-70-70-21410. Clark Klaasen, Duke 70-70-74-21410. Phillip Molica, Clemson 73-71-70-214Virginia20. Kyle Stough 72-74-72-21824. Will Collins 83-66-70-21927. Conrad Von Borsig 72-75-73-22040. Ben Kohles 75-73-75-22340. Bruce Woodall 72-75-76-223